Rain between MotoGP qualifying and Moto2 qualifying meant the track was once more wet for the intermediate class sessions in Brno for round ten of the 2019 World Championship.
In Q1, it was Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) who took the top spot, moving through to Q2 along with Bo Bendsneyder (NTS RW Racing GP), Jake Dixon (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) and Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech 3).
Alex Marquez, Moto2, Czech MotoGP 2019. Image courtesy of David Goldman/Marc VDS
Having just seen his brother annihilate the MotoGP field with slick tyres on a drying track, Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) replicated that performance as he took pole position at the end of Moto2 Q2 with slicks on a drying track. It was a stunning lap from Marquez, who had over two seconds to his nearest rival, Sam Lowes (Federal Oil Gresini Moto2), who will line up second tomorrow having not run wet tyres in the first part of Q2. Joining Marquez and Lowes on the front row is Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) who will be hoping for a return to form in the first race after the summer break.
Nicolo Bulega (SKY Racing Team VR46) has looked strong all weekend, and was able to translate his practice promise into a strong qualifying performance as he went fourth-fastest, ahead of Fabio Di Giannantonio (Beta Tools Speed Up) and an impressive Marco Bezzecchi (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) who, like Bulega, took his best qualifying in Moto2.
Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP) qualified seventh ahead of Bo Bendsneyder (NTS RW Racing GP) and Jake Dixon who, too, took his best qualifying position in the Moto2 World Championship.
Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40) completes the top ten of the grid and heads up row four, ahead of Jorge Navarro (Beta Tools Speed Up) and Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP), who will be up against it tomorrow to take it to championship leader and pole sitter Marquez from twelfth.
Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) was fast on the wet tyre, but switched to slicks too late to be able to set a lap time, he will start from the front of the fifth row ahead of Xavi Vierge (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) and Remy Gardner (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team).
Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) could only put the brand new KTM chassis in sixteenth, and will start from the sixth row alongside Tetsuta Nagashima (ONEXOX TKKR SAG Team) and Enea Bastianini (Italtrans Racing Team).
Jorge Martin, Czech Moto2, 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM
The fastest rider to not make Q2 was Jorge Martin (Red Bull KTM Ajo), who will head up row seven from a bitterly disappointed Joe Roberts (American Racing), a crash costing the American a Q2 appearance. Andrea Locatelli (Italtrans Racing Team) completes row seven.
Row eight sees Somkiet Chantra (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) ahead of Iker Lecuona (American Racing) and Mattia Pasini (Tasca Racing Scuderia Moto2); whilst Steven Odendaal (NTS RW Racing GP) heads up row nine from Lukas Tulovic (Kiefer Racing) and Stefano Manzi (MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward).
Xavi Cardelus (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) goes tomorrow from the front of row ten in twenty-eighth, ahead of Jonas Folger (Petronas Sprinta Racing) and Dominique Aegerter (MV Agusta Idealavoro Forward); whilst Philipp Oettl (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) will be alone one the last row.
Dimas Ekky (IDEMITSU Honda Team Asia) did not take part in qualifying, having been declared unfit after FP1, still suffering the after-effects of his collision with Stefano Manzi in Assen.
Qualifying for the Moto3 World Championship in Brno began in wet conditions, as rain prior to the session soaked the track.
Q1 saw Raul Fernandez (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) top the session from Makar Yurchenko (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race), Alonso Lopez (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and Can Oncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo) despite a late crash for the Turk. These would be the four riders to move through to Q2.
The rain got heavier throughout Q2, but just before its intensity peaked for the session, Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) was able to put himself clear of the pack by eight tenths. Although this gap was soon reduced, no one was able to beat the Italian’s 2’18.020 lap time which gained the #14 pole position for the Czech Grand Prix.
Tony Arbolino Pole setter for the Brno Moto3 2019 race. Image courtesy of Honda Pro Racing
A late lap from John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) in the height of the rain’s intensity was enough to put the Scotsman second on the grid, whilst Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse) was a few seconds behind McPhee on track and, despite having to pass Filip Salac (Redox PruestelGP) in the penultimate corner, was able to qualify third-fastest.
Starting from the front row is always important, but especially in Brno it can be useful to take a good grid position to avoid the inevitable melee in turn three on the opening lap.
The front of the second row will be occupied tomorrow by Tatsuki Suzuki (SIC58 Squadra Corse), and the Japanese will be joined on row two by Raul Fernandez who crashed late on in Q2, and Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team) who will be buoyed overnight by the start-line advantage he has over his main championship rival, Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing).
Row three sees Makar Yurchenko start from his career-best qualifying position of seventh, with Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) and Ai Ogura (Honda Team Asia) joining him on the third row.
Alonso Lopez completes the top ten and heads up row four, ahead of fellow Honda riders, Romano Fenati (VNE Snipers), who was on the podium in Brno back in 2017 in the wet, and Kaito Toba (Honda Team Asia).
Can Oncu was able to get out for Q2 despite his crash at the end of Q1 and qualified thirteenth ahead of Filip Salac and Andrea Migno (Bester Capital Dubai) who join the Turk on row five.
Can Oncu, Czech Moto3 qualifying 2019. Image courtesy of Gold and Goose/KTM
Row six sees Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) ahead of the two Leopard Racing bikes of Lorenzo Dalla Porta and Marcos Ramirez, in seventeenth and eighteenth respectively. Dalla Porta had a bike problem – possibly a symptom of a gear-change issue from FP3 in the morning – at the beginning of the session and had limited track time as a result. The slipstream is strong in Brno thanks to the quantity of straights, despite their short length, and Dalla Porta will need to make the most of this tomorrow if he is to reach Canet who is starting eleven positions ahead.
Albert Arenas (Sama Qatar Angel Nieto Team) crashed in Q1 and was the first of the riders to be eliminated from the first session. He will be joined on row seven by last year’s pole sitter Jakub Kornfeil (Redox PruestelGP) and Darryn Binder (CIP Green Power).
Row eight sees Dennis Foggia (SKY Racing Team VR46) – confirmed to be leaving the VR46 organisation at the end of 2019 – in front of wildcard Yuki Kunii (Asia Talent Team) and Sachsenring pole sitter Ayumu Sasaki (Petronas Sprinta Racing).
Kazuki Masaki (BOE Skull Rider Mugen Race) heads up row nine ahead of Sergio Garcia (Estrella Galicia 0,0) and wildcard Deniz Oncu (Red Bull KTM Ajo); whilst Riccardo Rossi (Kommerling Gresini Moto3) heads up the last row from Tom Booth-Amos (CIP Green Power), who crashed in Q1, and Stefano Nepa (Reale Avintia Arizona 77).
Gabriel Rodrigo (Kommerling Gresini Moto3) did not take part in qualifying after a free practice 2 crash on Friday afternoon which left him with a broken pelvis and collarbone, and out of at least the Czech and Austrian rounds of the 2019 Moto3 World Championship.
This weekend the British Superbike Championship heads to Thruxton for round seven of the 2019 season.
Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) arrives in Thruxton as the championship leader – both overall and in podium points – and off the back of another strong weekend in Snetterton where he took a double-victory. Redding now has six wins in 2019, more than any other rider, but Thruxton is yet another new track for the ex-MotoGP rider, and one of the most unique of the British Superbike calendar.
Thruxton has the highest average speed of the year, faster than any MotoGP track. Mostly, riders spend their time on the right side of the tyre, well in excess of 100mph, with smoke pouring off the rear Pirelli. The Hampshire track is a particular challenge for the riders, since with its speed and character comes enjoyment, so the riders want to push, they want to spin the rear tyre because it is fun. However, to win, of course you have to protect the tyre, and the rider who can balance the speed with protecting the rear tyre is generally the one that will come out on top. Perhaps this is no different to any other circuit, but the sheer amount of time spent on the side of the tyre with a lot of speed and a lot of power means that Thruxton is quite peculiar.
In the past, Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) has proven particularly successful at the game of tyre management in Thruxton, winning the second race last year as well as the first one in 2017; both races in 2015 on his way to the title; both races in 2014; race two in 2012 and race two in 2010. Brookes’ success in Thruxton has lasted a long time. With the success of his teammate, Redding, in 2019, there is perhaps no better circuit for Brookes to go to in his attempt to try and reclaim some momentum in the championship and to try to close the deficit he currently suffers to Redding in the podium points standings.
Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing) has seen success in Thruxton, too, winning in 2017 when Brookes crashed out and going 3-2 last year despite being hospitalised on Saturday night. Whether Hickman can replicate this form this year with the 2019 BMW S1000RR, vastly different to the old model, remains to be seen but regardless the #60 should be one to watch this weekend.
Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing) and Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) had difficult weekends in Snetterton, at least results-wise. Both riders arguably had the pace to win, but came away with the same score-card, with one third place and one DNF each. It will be important for both riders to rebound this weekend, since the two Be Wiser riders extended their advantage at the last round and with the Showdown edging closer podium points are becoming increasingly important.
On the other side, the battle for the all-important sixth-place is getting closer. Xavi Fores (Honda Racing) currently holds sixth in the championship, but only twenty-two points back is Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW Motorrad) in ninth. Between Fores and Iddon are Hickman and Fores’ Honda Racing teammate Andrew Irwin. These are the four riders fighting for the last spot, and they have three rounds, including Thruxton, to decide amongst them who would get it.
At Tyco BMW Motorrad, Glenn Irwin has arrived from Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki to replace Keith Farmer for the rest of the season, following Irwin’s departure from the 2018 championship-winning squad. At Quattro Plant, Hector Barbera is replacing Irwin after his good impression in his replacements so far this year, first for Ben Currie, and then for Irwin in Snetterton.
The 2019 MotoGP World Championship returns to action this weekend after the summer break with the Czech Grand Prix, round ten of the season.
Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) comes into this round as the clear championship leader – fifty-eight points clear of Andrea Dovizioso (Mission Winnow Ducati) – and the favourite for this weekend. Still, Marquez is the only rider in 2019 to have won more than one race in the MotoGP class, with five wins to his name in the first half of the season. Additionally, in his history in the premier class, Marquez has only missed the podium in Brno once, back in 2014. In 2013, his first year at Brno on a MotoGP bike, Marquez won; 2015 saw him take second place between the two factory Yamaha riders; in 2016 he was third and the top-placed rider with the soft-option rear wet tyre; in 2017 he completely out-smarted the rest and won by almost twenty seconds in the flag-to-flag conditions; and last year he was out-raced by Andrea Dovizioso who made the most of the power advantage of the Ducati. This year, Ducati do not have that same power advantage over Honda, and that could be enough for the reigning World Champion to pull clear on Sunday afternoon.
With Ducati still suffering with mid-corner speed, they are relying on their power, and Dovizioso’s race-craft to win this weekend. The #04’s tactics have won him several races over the last few years, including last year in Brno. However, the aforementioned power gains of Honda this year could make things more complicated for the Italian this year. Previously, Dovizioso would sit at the front, knowing that people can’t pass him in the middle of the corner, and that he is better on the brakes, better on acceleration and better on top speed. Compared to Marquez, at least, the latter two points are no longer as valid as they were before.
Maverick Vinales and the Yamaha Team. Image courtesy of Yamaha Racing
The characteristics of Brno have historically leant themselves to ‘corner-speed bikes’ quite well. Whilst Honda have been successful in Brno with four-strokes – with Rossi, Gibernau , Pedrosa, Stoner, Crutchlow, and Marquez – Yamaha have also found success there with their almost opposite design philosophy. Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) won for Yamaha in 2004, 2005, 2008 and 2009. In addition to his Honda wins in 2001 and 2003, Rossi is the most successful rider in Brno in the premier class with six wins. In total, Rossi has eight wins in Brno, and of course his first win in the World Championship came at the Czech track in 1996. After a difficult period for the Italian before the summer break, Rossi is in need of a strong result in Brno, where he has not been on the podium since 2016.
Perhaps Yamaha’s best options for this weekend lie in Rossi’s Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP teammate, Maverick Vinales, and Petronas Yamaha SRT’s star rookie Fabio Quartararo. Vinales is riding the crest of a wave at the moment. He has not ridden the M1 as well as he is now since his first races with Yamaha in 2017 and will fancy himself for the podium this weekend at a track which should suit the M1, although the Spaniard has not been on the Czech GP podium in the MotoGP class – his last rostrum in Brno coming in 2013 when he was second in the Moto3 race.
Quartararo, on the other hand, arrives in Brno after his first crash in a MotoGP race in Sachsenring. Brno shares characteristics with Assen and Catalunya, where Quartararo was strong and took consecutive podiums. On the other hand, Brno shares characteristics with Mugello, where the Frenchman was tenth. What you can say, though, is that Brno is less reliant on top speed than Mugello, which sees the highest speeds of the year. With that in mind, the flowing nature of Brno should prove fruitful for the #20.
Alex Rins. Image courtesy of Suzuki Racing
What works for Yamaha generally works for Suzuki, and sometimes even better. For example, when Marquez crashed in Texas this year, it worked well for Yamaha, as Valentino Rossi inherited the lead, but it worked better for Suzuki because Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) had better pace. Similarly, the meandering undulations of Mugello work well for Yamaha, but this year they worked better for Suzuki who have more power in the GSX-RR than the YZR-M1.
One of the key features of Brno is ‘Horsepower Hill’, previously known as ‘Honda Hill’ – a tag which may return this year for the run between turns twelve and thirteen. This is the part of the track that will not work for the weak-motored M1, but with slightly more power in the GSX-RR Suzuki could make advantage of this area. For sure, they will be at a disadvantage here to Ducati and Honda, but their potential advantage in the rest of the track could cancel this out. Alex Rins has a good chance to win this weekend, which would edge Suzuki back ahead of Yamaha in their private battle for the title of ‘best MotoGP inline-four’.
Jorge Lorenzo (Repsol Honda Team) will be missing once again following his crash in Assen. Stefan Bradl continues to be his replacement, who is fresh from a podium finish at the Suzuka 8 Hour on the factory Honda.
The Moto3 World Championship heads to Brno this weekend for the tenth round of the 2019 season, and the beginning of the second half of the season.
Having taken his first win of the season in Sachsenring, Lorenzo Dalla Porta (Leopard Racing) arrives in Brno as the leader of the Moto3 World Championship by two points from Aron Canet (Sterilgarda Max Racing Team).
Dalla Porta has had a strong season so far, and especially since the start of the European season he has been consistently fast. Having missed out narrowly in Assen and Mugello to Tony Arbolino (VNE Snipers) for those wins, taking victory in Sachsenring was important for his season, and it came at an important time – directly before the summer break. Dalla Porta was only tenth in Brno last season, but his smooth riding style, in combination with the Honda’s comfort in the mid-corner, should make the Italian a potent force this weekend.
Aron Canet, by comparison, has had a more complicated year, but his avoidance of incidents has kept him atop the championship for most of the season. Now having lost the championship lead it will be interesting to see how Canet responds this weekend in Brno, where he was second to Fabio Di Giannantonio last year.
Dalla Porta and Canet have a large margin over the rest of the field in the championship. Third in the points is Niccolo Antonelli (SIC58 Squadra Corse), fifty-eight points behind the leading Dalla Porta. The battle for third, though, is quite tight, with only twelve points between Antonelli in third and Jaume Masia (Bester Capital Dubai) in eighth. Between Antonelli and Masia are Marcos Ramirez (Leopard Racing) who won in Barcelona; Tony Arbolino who is the only multiple-winner in Moto3 this year; John McPhee (Petronas Sprinta Racing) who won in Le Mans and Celestino Vietti (SKY Racing Team VR46) who has impressed with two podiums in his rookie year.
Of course, things are difficult to predict in a series as tight as Moto3, where the front group can be as strong as twenty riders. Brno should be one of the tracks where the group is big, because there are several medium-length straights where the slipstream will have some effect and keep the field together. This makes Brno a dangerous race for the championship contenders, because in a group as large as twenty, things can go wrong at 150mph, and without any real fault you can be on the floor and scoring no points while your rivals are still fighting at the front. Incident avoidance has been a strong point of Aron Canet’s riding this season, and it could be critical this weekend if the race is particularly hectic.
This weekend the Moto2 World Championship returns from its summer break in the Czech Republic, as Brno hosts the tenth round of the 2019 season.
Alex Marquez (EG 0,0 Marc VDS) returns from his holidays leading the championship by eight points from Tom Luthi (Dynavolt Intact GP). Sachsenring was another masterclass from Marquez, who has clearly been the rider who has made the best adaptation to this year’s regulation changes with the Triumph engines as increased electronics in Grand Prix racing’s intermediate class. In Germany, Marquez won by over one second, as he did in Barcelona, Mugello and Le Mans, and dominated the field to reclaim the championship lead as his closest rival Luthi finished only fifth to relinquish the championship lead. Marquez has a decent record in Brno, finishing fourth in his first Moto2 Czech Grand Prix in 2015, fifth in 2016 and second in 2017, so will be hoping to extend his advantage again this weekend.
Tom Luthi won his last Moto2 race in Brno back in 2017 in the rain, although his previous Czech podium to that was third in 2013, following a second in 2012. Luthi’s last win before his 2017 triumph was back in 2005, his 125cc championship-winning year. The Swiss needs to add a third Czech win this weekend if he wants to keep the pressure on Marquez, who currently looks nailed on for the title based on his pace advantage in the latter part of the race.
Another disappointing race for Lorenzo Baldassarri (Flexbox HP 40) in Sachsenring, where he finished seventh, six seconds off the win, saw him fall out of championship contention despite dominating the early part of the season. Finishing behind his Pons teammate, Augusto Fernandez (Flexbox HP 40), also saw the Spaniard extend his points lead over Baldassarri in their battle for third in the championship.
Also involved in that third-place points battle are Jorge Navarro (Speed Up) and Marcel Schrotter (Dynavolt Intact GP) who are both joint on ninety-seven points with Baldassarri, as well as Luca Marini (SKY Racing Team VR46) just seven points further back and Brad Binder (Red Bull KTM Ajo) just six points back of Marini.
Navarro’s season has been up-and-down, but more up than down. The Spaniard was near the back at turn one in Germany, but his comeback was strong and he finished eighth, a performance which backed up his podiums from earlier in the year. All that is missing from Navarro’s season is a win, and the Speed Up’s prowess in the mid-corner could prove pivotal for him in the flowing corners of Brno.
Marcel Schrotter’s season has been similar to Navarro’s, in that he is just missing a win. He was back on the pace in Germany, but fell back just after the start and that compromised his podium challenge.
Luca Marini suffered with his shoulder in Germany, but last year fought with Miguel Oliveira for the win in Brno so should be expected to fight at the front again this year, as will Brad Binder who has been second in the last two races for KTM on a bike which arguably should not be in the top three, and now has a MotoGP contract in place for 2020 at Red Bull KTM Tech 3.
The ninth round of the 2019 MotoGP World Championship took place in Germany at the Sachsenring, where Marc Marquez (Repsol Honda Team) took his tenth consecutive win at the German track.
Marquez made a relatively bad start from his tenth-straight Sachsenring pole and was out-dragged towards turn one by fellow front-row starters Fabio Quartararo (Petronas Yamaha SRT) and Maverick Vinales (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP), but the #93 out-brakes the Yamaha riders around the outside on the entry to the first turn.
Maverick Vinales at the 2019 MotoGP German race. Image courtesy of Yamaha Racing
Vinales, in turn, forced out Quartararo in turn one, as Jack Miller (Pramac Racing) took third. Before the end of the first lap, though, Alex Rins (Team Suzuki Ecstar) took third away from Miller, although the Ducati rider came back in turn one.
A crash for Quartararo broke the pack up on lap two. The Frenchman was unhurt but it allowed a gap to appear between Cal Crutchlow (LCR Honda CASTROL) in fifth and Danilo Petrucci (Mission Winnow Ducati) in sixth.
On lap three, Marquez started to move the pace on, and Mille started to struggle. Rins had already passed him back for third, and before the end of the lap Crutchlow was through for fourth. Miller’s lack of pace had brought Danilo Petrucci back towards him and Crutchlow, and the second Mission Winnow Ducati of Andrea Dovizioso was there, too, as well as Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT), Valentino Rossi (Monster Energy Yamaha MotoGP) and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar) in tenth.
At turn twelve on lap four, Alex Rins got past Maverick Vinales for second place as Marquez’s advantage grew to six tenths. Marquez’ strategy was to use the first two laps to warm his front tyre, and then push to open a gap. It was a strategy which worked – Rins was able to go faster than Vinales, but not fast enough to close Marquez.
With twenty-four laps to go, Marquez’ advantage was over one second, and with twenty-two to go it was approaching 1.5 seconds over Rins, who in turn had over one second back to Vinales, whilst Crutchlow was pressuring the #12.
When Marquez’ gap reached three seconds, he backed the pace off to conserve the tyre which had been a concern over the weekend for the whole field, such were the temperatures and the particular demands of the especially anti-clockwise Sachsenring.
Marc Marquez celebrating his win at the 2019 Sachsengring MotoGP race. Image courtesy of Box Repsol
Marquez’ lead was extended further on lap twelve when Alex Rins crashed at turn eleven out of second place. If his win wasn’t assured already, it was now. Marquez continued out front for eleven relatively comfortable laps, and took his tenth-straight Sachsenring win. Additionally, it was his fifth win of the season, and his championship advantage opened up to fifty-eight points ahead of the summer break – a healthy margin with ten races to go and a useful buffer with strong tracks for Ducati coming up on the calendar.
Maverick Vinales spent most of the race with Cal Crutchlow no more than two tenths behind him. Originally, this was for third place but Rins’ crash made that into the second-place battle. Towards the end, the gap between the Spaniard and the Briton increased and Vinales took second place 4.587 seconds behind Marquez, and over three seconds clear of Crutchlow as he took his third podium of the season a week on from his dominant win in Assen.
Crutchlow was unsure whether he would be able to race on Sunday such was the pain he was in after his bicycle accident between Assen and Sachsenring in which he broke the top of his tibia. To turn from that on Sunday to a third place and his second podium of the season in Sachsenring is impressive from the Briton who has struggled for front feeling with the 2019 Honda. Finishing the first half of the season the way he started it is a good way to go into the summer break for the #35.
Fourth place went to Danilo Petrucci who came out on top in a big battle between himself, Dovizioso, Miller and Joan Mir (Team Suzuki Ecstar). Petrucci knew that Sachsenring was not a favourable track for Ducati, but he enjoyed the track himself – with a new Ducati contract for 2020 under his belt he had no problems taking points away from Dovizioso who he now trails by only six points in the championship.
Andrea Dovizioso & Danilo Petrucci at the 2019 German MotoGP. Image courtesy of Ducati
Dovizioso himself was able to turn a difficult weekend and a thirteenth-place grid slot into a fifth place, although this was not enough to lift his mood as he saw the 2019 world title slip even further away.
Jack Miller took sixth place. To be fighting with the factory GP19s is all Miller could have hoped for in Sachsenring, and he had them both well in sight at the flag. Joan Mir was seventh after a strong ride in which he almost certainly learned a great deal about how to fight in a MotoGP race and how to conserve a tyre.
Valentino Rossi was in the fight with Mir and the GP19s until the closing stages of the race, when his medium rear tyre – which most riders commented was harder than the hard compound – started to give up. The summer break has come at the right time for Rossi, who needs to reset for the second half of the season having missed the podium since Texas and not been in the top five since Le Mans.
Franco Morbidelli (Petronas Yamaha SRT) suffered similar late-race pace to Rossi and finished ninth. Perhaps it is useful to consider in this moment that Morbidelli has been open about modelling his own riding style on Rossi’s. Considering the comparable results of the two in recent races, perhaps it can be judged that – at least for this year’s edition of the YZR-M1 – this decision by Morbidelli has not been the best one.
Stefan Bradl, in place of Jorge Lorenzo at the Repsol Honda Team, was able to finish tenth, giving the factory Honda team their first double-top ten since Malaysia 2018 when Marquez won and Dani Pedrosa was fifth.
Tito Rabat (Reale Avintia Racing) finished eleventh, ahead of Pol Espargaro (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), Andrea Iannone (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini), the heavily and increasingly injured Takaaki Nakagami (LCR Honda IDEMITSU) and Karel Abraham (Reale Avintia Racing) who completed the points.
Hafizh Syahrin (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) was sixteenth, ahead of Francesco Bagnaia (Pramac Racing) whose clearance to race was a questionable one after being admitted to hospital and admitting himself to headaches after a practice crash on Friday. The Italian had a big run-on in turn one early in the race, which compromised his result. Miguel Oliveira (Red Bull KTM Tech 3) crashed early on, and was the final classified rider in seventeenth.
After Fabio Quartararo crashed out on lap two, Johann Zarco (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) also crashed out a lap later. There was not another retirement until Rins dropped out on lap nineteen. After Rins fell, only Aleix Espargaro (Aprilia Racing Team Gresini) dropped out, as he crashed with two laps to go after a strong ride in which he was fighting for the top ten.
Qualifying for the sixth round of the British Superbike Championship took place at Snetterton. The weather had been inconsistent throughout the weekend but the track remained dry for qualifying.
Scott Redding (Be Wiser Ducati) had been fastest throughout the weekend, and so was the favourite for pole position heading into qualifying. His promise from free practice was one he was able to deliver on as the ex-MotoGP rider took his second pole position of the season on his first visit to Snetterton – perhaps the most ‘European’ of the British tracks with the exceptions of Donington and Silverstone.
Tarran Mackenzie (McAMS Yamaha) was second on the grid. In a weekend where Ducati have been dominant with Redding and competitive with Josh Brookes (Be Wiser Ducati) and Tommy Bridewell (Oxford Racing) it has been Mackenzie who has represented some resistance to the Panigale V4R with his YZF-R1, and starting from the middle of the front row gives him a good chance for the first race tomorrow.
Tommy Bridewell ensured Mackenzie’s Yamaha was the meat in the Ducati sandwich on the front row for tomorrow’s first race as he qualified third. It has been a quiet weekend for the #46, but when the lap time counted he found himself competitive and was able to give himself a good opportunity tomorrow.
Josh Brookes was mostly off the pace compared to his teammate; Redding, throughout free practice, but he seemed to find something in qualifying. The Australian was able to almost match his teammate in Q1, although in the final pole position shootout of Q3 he was only able to manage fourth. The second row is not a disaster for Brookes, of course, and with the fastest four riders of the weekend heading up the grid the races tomorrow should be quite open.
Dan Linfoot (Santander Salt TAG Yamaha) qualified fifth, continuing his good form. Xavi Fores (Honda Racing) also continued his good qualifying form by taking sixth place after his pole position in Knockhill. Danny Buchan (FS-3 Kawasaki) set the seventh-fastest time in Q2, and will line up on the third row ahead of Andrew Irwin (Honda Racing) who crashed in Q2 and Peter Hickman (Smiths Racing) who suffered his first crash of the season on the exit of the final corner in Q3 which brought out the red flags as his bike was stranded in the middle of the track.
Bradley Ray – Buildbase Suzuki. Image courtesy of Suzuki racing
Bradley Ray (Buildbase Suzuki) was the fastest of the riders to not make Q3 and qualified tenth aead of Luke Stapleford (Buidlbase Suzuki) and Luke Mossey (OMG Racing Suzuki) who was disappointed to round out the fourth row after a strong showing in free practice.
Michael Laverty, replacing Keith Farmer at Tyco BMW Motorrad, qualified thirteenth ahead of Hector Barbers who is back in at Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki replacing Glenn Irwin who has vision issues following a bout of the flu. Christian Iddon (Tyco BMW Motorrad), complete with a nineteen-day-old broken leg, completes row five.
Josh Elliott (OMG Racing Suzuki) qualified sixteenth ahead of Joe Francis (Lloyd & Jones Bowker Motorrad) on his first competitive outing with the 2019 BMW S1000RR. Ben Currie (Quattro Plant JG Speedfit Kawasaki) was the slowest of the riders in Q2 and will line up eighteenth for race one.
James Ellison (Smiths Racing) qualified nineteenth and will head up row seven in race one, ahead of Ryan Vickers (RAF Regular & Reserves Kawasaki) on his return from injury. Jason O’Halloran (McAMS Yamaha) suffered two crashes in Q1 – at least one confirmed to be a bike problem as he hit a false neutral into turn four – and will complete the seventh row.
Claudio Corti (Team WD-40) was twenty-second fastest, ahead of Matt Truelove (Raceways Yamaha) and David Allingham (EHA Yamaha); whilst Dean Harrison (Silicone Engineering Racing) heads up row nine from Shaun Winfield (Santander Salt TAG Yamaha) and Sam Coventry (Team 64 Motorsports).
Fraser Rogers (Gearlink Kawasaki) was thought to be out of the weekend after a problem on Friday morning, but continued at Snetterton and qualified twenty-eighth, heading up the last row from Danny Kent (Bike Devil Sweda MV Agusta) – who suffered bike problems with the MV F4 – and Dean Hipwell (CDH Racing) who completes the grid for race one.
A dramatic Superpole Race in Laguna Seca for round nine of the 2019 Superbike World Championship saw Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) secure his second win of the weekend, his ninth of the season.
Chaz Davies (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) challenged Rea into turn two on the first lap, but the drama was further behind, as Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) made contact with Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) and crashed.
There was possible good fortune for the Spaniard, though, as a heavy crash for JD Beach (Attack Performance Estenson Yamaha) and Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team) brought out the red flags. Both Beach and Delbianco were okay, but Bautista was taken to the medical centre after he brought back the #19 Ducati, and then failed to make the restart.
At the resumption of the race, Rea took the holeshot and immediately cleared off, despite being the only rider not on the SCX tyre, designed especially for the ten-lap sprint races. The reigning World Champion was once again untouchable, and collected another thirteen points, extending his points lead to sixty-one – almost a full weekend’s worth of points and a complete flip of the gap between Rea and Bautista ahead of race two in Jerez. It was Rea’s eightieth World Superbike victory, and the 250th for a British rider in the series.
Chaz Davis at Laguna Seca WSBK 2019. Image courtesy of Ducati
Chaz Davies was similarly unchallenged to take another second place, his third of the season. Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK) took the final podium spot for his third top three of the season.
Toprak Razgatlioglu was closing on Sykes in the closing laps of the race, but ran out of time, finishing fourth in the end ahead of Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) who rounded out the top five. Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK) took sixth place ahead of Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha), Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing), Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) who took the final point in ninth and Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK) who completed the top ten.
Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) was eleventh ahead of Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK), Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team), Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven), Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) and Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) who was the final classified rider in sixteenth after running on at turn two.
The only non-finishers were the non-starters of Delbianco, Beach and Bautista.
The Californian sun welcomed the Superbike World Championship for race one of round nine of the 2019 season, which saw Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) take his eighth win of the season and extend his championship advantage.
From his first Laguna Seca pole position, Rea made the holeshot from Alvaro Bautista (ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati) who came from third on the grid to follow the Northern Irishman into turn two, the first braking point of the track.
Bautista’s pace on the opening lap was not spectacular, though, and the Spaniard’s ARUBA.IT Racing – Ducati teammate, Chaz Davies, moved through in the penultimate corner. Toprak Razgatlioglu (Turkish Puccetti Racing) was able to pass Tom Sykes (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK) at turn six for fourth place and, in the early part of the race, was able to go with the leaders.
Alvaro Bautista and Chaz Davies in Race One at Laguna Seca WSBK 2019. Image courtesy of Ducati
It was not long, though, before Rea, Davies and Bautista were able to get away at the front. There was fighting brewing between them, though. Davies had chosen the SCX rear tyre, designed for the ten-lap Superpole race, and knew he needed to get to the front to make the most of that choice. He made a move on Rea at the Andretti Hairpin, but was unable to make it stick. At this point, Bautista’s pace was starting to pick up and the #19 was beginning to pressurise his teammate.
Bautista’s challenge for the win was over before long, though, as he crashed out at turn six with twenty-one laps to go. The Spaniard was able to get back on, but didn’t have the pace to reach the points. To pour the salt into the wounds of the 2006 125cc World Champion, he was later lapped by Rea and Davies.
After Bautista’s crash, Davies’ time was running out to make a move before his tyre went away. That move never came, and eventually Rea eased away to what became an eighth win of 2019, which he took by 5.693 seconds. Rea’s twenty-five-point extension took his championship advantage to forty-nine points which, with four-and-two-thirds rounds to go, including Magny-Cours, makes the championship look significantly less attainable for Bautista. The turnaround in fortunes between the championship’s top two since Imola has been stark, and completely unexpected which has been reflected in the surprise of almost everyone involved with the championship from the fans to the riders themselves.
Davies’ second place was his first rostrum since the Imola Superpole race and the result of what appears to be a breakthrough with the Panigale V4R for the Welshman over the course of this weekend. In the two remaining races Davies will be aiming for his first win of the season. His preference towards the SCX tyre might suggest his best chance will be the Superpole race. With Bautista at such a mathematical disadvantage in the championship, it will be interesting to see the extent to which Ducati now ask Davies to play the team game for the rest of the season, and whether Davies will be in the position to help out his teammate if that is what is asked of him.
Toprak Razgatlioglu continued his run of podium positions, taking at least one in every round since Imola. It was a lonely race for the Turk, finishing two seconds ahead of Sykes in fourth, who was unable to respond to Toprak’s lap one move, and seven seconds behind Davies. Toprak’s poor qualifying position of seventh place didn’t impact his race as much as initially thought, since he didn’t have the pace of the leaders regardless of where he started.
Sykes’ fourth place might not have been a podium, but BMW will have been happy to beat the factory Yamaha of Alex Lowes (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK) in such a tight track. Equally, fifth will have been below the expectations of both Lowes and Yamaha coming into this weekend, where they were on the podium one year ago.
Sixth place went to Jordi Torres (Team Pedercini Racing) who had a fantastic race on the privateer Kawasaki, running in fifth place for much of the race before his SCX tyre gave best and had a few goes at flicking the Spaniard. Michael van der Mark (Pata Yamaha WorldSBK) was able to take his broken wrist to another top ten with seventh place ahead of Loris Baz (Ten Kate Racing – Yamaha), Marco Melandri (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK) and Michael Ruben Rinaldi (BARNI Racing Team) who completed the top ten.
Eugene Laverty (Team Goeleven) finished his first race since Assen in eleventh place, still suffering with two broken wrists. Particularly the right wrist was a problem for Laverty, a problem which is helped, relatively, by Laguna’s layout which contains only four right-handers. Leandro Mercado (Orelac Racing VerdNatura) was twelfth ahead of Alessandro Delbianco (Althea Mie Racing Team), Sandro Cortese (GRT Yamaha WorldSBK), who looks somewhat lost at the moment with the YZF-R1, and Markus Reiterberger (BMW Motorrad WorldSBK) who took the final point on his return to the World Championship after missing Donington with the flu.
Ryuichi Kiyonari (Moriwaki Althea Honda Team) was the final rider to finish on the lead lap in sixteenth, whilst Alvaro Bautista finished seventeenth after his crash.
Leon Haslam (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK) went down about half-a-lap before Bautista at the Corkscrew, whilst wildcard JD Beach (Attack Performance Estenson Yamaha) retired from his first WorldSBK race with twelve laps to go.
